The Best New Cars at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show

Check out video and photos of the six cars that matter: Highlander, G8, Taurus, Astra, and a pair of Scions.

JARED GALL

Feb 1, 2007

Following Detroit's North American International Auto Show is a tough job, and the number of new-car debuts—both production and concept—in Chicago pales in comparison to Detroit's onslaught of new product. That's okay by us; Chicago is a much easier show to cover because of it.

Fewer debuts doesn't mean that Chicago is populated by a bunch of second-tier products, however. Read on to find out about the most significant production debuts of the 2007 Chicago Auto Show.

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Toyota's Camry-based crossover enters its second generation with the 2008 Toyota Highlander. Stretched in every dimension, the Highlander grows more habitable second- and third-row seats. Whereas the previous generation could really only accommodate children under the age of ten in its third row, those same kids should be comfortable way back there until at least age 12. In all rows, passengers will notice even higher quality materials, with a dashboard that wouldn't look out of place in an offering from Toyota's luxury division, Lexus.

Based on the current generation of the same Australian-market Holden line that spawned the disappointing GTO in its previous iteration, the Pontiac G8 GT displayed in Chicago is gunning for the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 twins. Rear-wheel drive and an optional V-8 coupled to a six-speed manual transmission should make for a potent competitor, although the G8 lacks the brash styling of its competition. That do-it-yourself transmission, however, could win some sales from DCX, as neither the Charger nor the 300 is available with one.

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Ford's major Chicago debut was six chrome letters about an inch-and-a-half tall: two U's, an A, an S, an R, and a T. Arranged T-A-U-R-U-S and affixed to a recently vacated patch on the trunk of the former Ford Five Hundred, these letters mark the most significant marketing push the model has ever received. Add an X to the end, and you've got the perfect butt-stamp for the Freestyle. Is it desperation? The Five Hundred and Freestyle are selling about as well as waffles at IHOP during all-you-can-eat pancake month. By renaming the newly facelifted cars Taurus, Ford hopes to cash in on the all the brand equity built up by that nameplate in the twenty years it was on the market—some of them as the best-selling car in the country.

More than just sheetmetal now separates Scion's two urban runabouts. The xB gets puffier new duds, and the xA is gone, replaced by the xD. The two cars now ride on different platforms and are powered by different engines. The xD is based on the Toyota Yaris platform, but thankfully gets a little more power to go with its hip image. Gone is the old 108-hp four-banger, replaced by a 128-hp four-pot twirling either a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual transmission.

Perhaps the separation of xB and xD means a move upmarket for the more powerful xB. With 158 horsepower on tap, the xB sees a nearly 50 percent increase from the last generation car's meager 108 and now boasts a 30-hp advantage over its former fraternal twin, the xD. The xB's distinctive delivery-truck shape remains, but puts on some chunk. Formerly flat, slab sides have put on a healthy dose of flab, and the squared nose of the old trucklet puffs out all around, particularly in the new, protuberant headlights that look about ready to pop. It's a whole new outfit, but still unmistakably xB.

Saturn's overhaul into an American Opel takes another step with the introduction of the 2008 Saturn Astra. Unlike the Sky roadster (Opel GT) and the Aura sedan (Opel Vectra), which at least changed their names somewhere over the Atlantic, the Astra arrives wearing the same nametag it wears in Europe. This car sells well across the pond, though, so that might not matter. Available either as a three-door or a five-door, the Astra is powered by a 140-hp 1.8-liter Ecotec inline four, with either a four-speed automatic or a five-speed manual transmission.